


Nightmares

by GatorGirl2016



Series: A Fic A Day [19]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Beach House, Comfort, Comforting Dean Winchester, Cute, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Fluff, Human Castiel (Supernatural), M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Non-Hunter Dean Winchester, Ocean, Police Officer Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25759309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GatorGirl2016/pseuds/GatorGirl2016
Summary: Dean wakes up and finds his husband missing. He finds Cas standing at the edge of the ocean, trying to calm himself after his nightmare. Dean helps comfort his husband.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: A Fic A Day [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853566
Kudos: 65
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> For Writer's Month 2020 and the prompt for the day was ocean.

Dean woke from a dead sleep but had no clue as to what caused him to wake. He rolled over to reach for his husband and found the space next to him cold and empty. He looked towards the bathroom but could see no light shining from underneath it. He slid from the bed and shivered as his feet touched the freezing floor. He grabbed his robe and threw it on as he headed towards the kitchen.

“Cas,” Dean called into the silence. “Cas,” he called again as he walked into the empty kitchen.

Dean checked the clock on the stove and saw that it was still the early hours of the morning. He jumped at the sound of a door slamming. He turned his head towards the back door and frowned. He had locked the door before he and Cas had gone to bed last night. He looked through the large windows that faced the beach and sighed.

Dean slid his feet into a pair of flip flops before walking through the sand dunes to the edge of the ocean where his husband stood. He stood next to Cas at the edge of the water but said nothing. He looked out at the rolling waves, glancing at the man next to him every so often.

Cas was a picture of serenity. His arms hung loosely by his side, his shoulders were relaxed, his eyes were closed, and he had a soft smile on his face. The light breeze caught strands of his ebony hair and mussed it up even more than usual. His face was tilted and partially covered in shadows where the moonlight couldn’t reach.

Dean wasn’t sure how long they stood at the edge of the water, the waves lapping at their feet every few seconds. Finally, Cas blinked slowly before turning his blue-eyed gaze on Dean. His smile broadened, as if he just realized Dean was standing next to him. “Hello, gum drop, how long have you been standing there?”

Dean rolled his eyes at the pet name. Ever since he won a bet against Cas’ brother, Gabriel, in a gum drop eating contest, Cas refused to call him anything else. Dean shrugged his shoulders as he said, “I’m not really sure how long I’ve been here. You seemed so calm that I didn’t want to disturb you. Everything alright?”

Cas turned his head back to the choppy water. “I love the sound of the waves as they crash against the shore. It’s such a rhythmic and soothing sound. After the nightmare I had, I just needed to find my center again.” He inhaled a large gulp of the salty sea air and exhaled slowly. He looked back at Dean, the smile having been replaced with a frown.

Dean moved until his chest was pressed up against Cas’ back. He wrapped his arms around the slim waist and settled his chin on Cas’ muscled shoulder. “What did you have a nightmare about?” Dean hated how even when Cas was wrapped in his arms at night, his husband still suffered from nightmares.

He could feel the tension slowly flood Cas’ body. Cas’ shoulders stiffened and a strong tremor traipsed through his body. “It was the same one as always. All I see is you lying on the floor, covered in blood because I was too late to save you.”

Dean squeezed Cas tighter. “Angel, you weren’t too late, though.”

Cas turned in his arms and Dean could see the tears sliding down his face. He reached out and trailed his hand across Dean’s cheek and down his stomach. He stopped just above Dean’s left hip where the scar from the bullet was. “I was, gum drop. I may have saved you from getting killed but I didn’t stop him from hurting you. He wanted to kill you to get revenge against me. You should hate me,” he sobbed as he buried his head in Dean’s chest.

Dean nuzzled into the thick mop of hair as he rubbed soothing circles against Cas’ back. “Angel, I would never blame you for somebody else’s actions. You were a cop, Cas, and a damn good one at that. Of course, you made enemies over the years. Angel, if you hadn’t gotten there when you did, his shot wouldn’t have gone awry.”

Cas continued to cry into Dean’s chest, barely hearing the words spilling from Dean’s mouth. After thirty years of being on the force, ten of them spent as the chief of police, Cas had finally retired after Dean’s life had been put on the line. When he was still a rookie cop, Cas’ big break had come when he managed to crack the biggest drug and human trafficking system in the city. The man in charge of the whole system, Alistair Lane, had escaped from prison and gone after Dean to get revenge against Cas for closing his whole operation down. Cas barely found Dean in the nick of time.

Dean felt his heart break at the sobs that were wracking Cas’ lithe frame. He scooped his husband in his arms and uncaring of their clothes, walked into the ocean until the water was up to his waist. He gently lowered Cas into the water and helped hold him steady as he floated on the surface. They had learned years ago that this was the best way to help Cas’ anxiety and keep him from having a panic attack after his nightmares. Neither knew why it worked but they really didn’t care as long as it did.

Dean tenderly trailed his fingers through Cas’ hair as much as he could while his husband floated peacefully. The waves rolled towards the shore, causing Cas to bob up and down as they moved underneath him. Slowly, the tears quit falling and Dean could tell when Cas finally felt calm again.

Cas opened his eyes to stare into Dean’s forest green ones. He cupped Dean’s stubbled jaw in his hand and looked at him with adoration. “Thank you, gum drop, for always putting up with my issues. I can’t believe how lucky I am to call you mine. I love you so much.”

Dean leaned over and pressed his lips to Cas’. “I love you, too,” he murmured as he let his mouth hover over Cas’s.

Cas suddenly stood up and pulled Dean into his arms before slotting his mouth against the blonde’s. Dean whimpered as Cas swiped his tongue against his lips. Dean opened his mouth and Cas slid his tongue inside, sliding against Dean’s in a soft embrace. Dean let his husband dominate the kiss, knowing how Cas hated feeling out of control after his nightmares.

They traded kisses for a few more minutes until Cas started shivering. They made their way slowly out of the water onto the beach. They trudged back to the house, their wet legs getting coated in the sand that they kicked up. They stopped when Cas noticed something laying on the ground. He bent over and picked up a large conch shell. He grinned as he held it up to his ear to listen to the ocean sounds produced from the resonating airflow.

Dean stared at his husband, glad that Cas had seemed to move past the nightmare. “Another shell for the collection?”

Cas had a gummy smile as he nodded his head. “This will make the perfect centerpiece on the mantel.”

“I completely agree,” Dean said as he leaned forward to peck Cas on the lips. He held his hand out and waited for Cas to wind their fingers together. They walked back to the house hand in hand, the sun just cresting over the ocean behind them.


End file.
